


Can We Keep Him?

by Drabbles_Of_Writing



Series: Uncursed AU [1]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Best Friends, Family Bonding, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, King steals a crown and then runs for his life, Other, Pre-Canon, Rain, Running, Sneaking Around, Thief, Uncursed AU, and BAM, even tho this is an AU, well future family bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drabbles_Of_Writing/pseuds/Drabbles_Of_Writing
Summary: Edalyn Clawthorne was known to sell the strangest human items.And everyone knew, you don’t steal from Edalyn.Well...almost everyone.
Relationships: Eda Clawthorne & King, Eda Clawthorne & Lilith Clawthorne
Series: Uncursed AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903108
Comments: 11
Kudos: 218





	1. Thief!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new AU! In this AU, Lilith never cursed Eda. A lot of things stay the same according to canon, but everything's a whole lot fluffier...mostly.  
> This takes place well before Eda ever got her Owl House.

Edalyn Clawthorne was known to sell the strangest human items.

You could stop by her shop any day and find objects that seemed to serve no real purpose, yet they were enticing all the same.

And nearly every time, you’d find her selling them alone. On a very rare day, her sister Lilith would join her when she had nothing better to do.

This didn’t stop Edalyn, though. She was getting more charismatic by the day, and with her seemingly endless supply of human objects. There was no rhyme or reason to what she sold or  _ when _ she sold them. Her selling spots were different every day, and every hour she had a new sale tactic. 

By all accounts, she was a loose cannon ready to be fired.

There was, however, one thing  _ everyone _ knew that was consistent with Eda.

You  _ don’t _ steal from her.

“Come one, come all! See the newest items taken from the human realm!”

Eda gestured at her pile of objects she’d scavenged from metal bins, holding up items she thought would really catch someone's eye. 

Wandering buyers paused at her stand every now and again, looking over what she had to offer.

Eda had recently gotten far less items to sell, what with pretty much everything she was finding in the humans metal bins being nothing but half-eaten food. 

Unfortunately, moving further into the realm was out of the question. She’d nearly been caught many times and threatened for something called the ‘cops’ to be called on her.

She didn’t know what those were but she would prefer not to run into them. She’d had to go out of her way to find trash slugs, for the Titans sake!

Today, of course, was a slow day. She’d been at her stand far past morning and into the late afternoon with selling barely enough to buy a bag of chips. She was already mentally preparing herself to face Lilith with even  _ less _ pennies to her name.

Eda was sitting in an old chair behind her table full of items, her cheek resting in her hand. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open, and she felt herself slipping.

That was, until she heard her pile of junk crash to the ground.

Eda was up like a shot, whirling her head to the other side of the table, where many of her stolen goods were strewn across the ground.

Something stumbled out from the pile, wobbly on its feet as it tried to reorient itself.

It was a demon. A rather small one, at that. It resembled a black dog with no skin on its face, revealing a white skull with a single half-broken horn. It’s red collar was a bit odd, too.

Resting on the demon's head was a small plastic crown from Eda’s junk pile. The thing only fit around one of its horns.

“Hey!” Eda snapped, causing the demon to jerk its head towards her. “You gotta pay for this mess!” She demanded, gesturing to the items laying across the ground.

“Oh, um,” The demon looked around frantically. “No I don’t!” He shouted before bolting back through the marketplace.

“Wh--get  _ back here!” _ Eda shouted, leaping over the table and racing after the demon.

The demon ducked and twisted through the stands and customers trying to mind their own business. Stands were knocked over and witches were knocked to the ground in Eda’s rampage to chase down the little thief.

The demon broke through the marketplace and ran through the town. Eda drew a circle in the air and a tangle of vines launched towards the demon. He just barely dodged it and skittered towards a park that was, thankfully, currently empty.

The demon scampered up the slide and onto the top of the playground, peering out from behind the bars built into it.

“You’ll never take me alive!” The demon shouted down, waving a small fist in the air. “For I am the King of Demons! Ruler of the Boiling Isles!”

“Uh huh, sure, whatever,” Eda rolled her eyes, standing at the bottom of the slide with her hands on her hips. “Either you give me back my human-crown-thing, or I’m gonna take it from you.”

_ “Ha! _ You could  _ never _ hope to defeat I, the King of Demons!” The demon sneered. “This is  _ my _ crown now, and you can’t do anything about it!”

Eda drew a circle in the air once more as vines sprung from the ground. The demon squawked as the vines dove into the playground, grabbing him and lifting him out and throwing him onto the ground at her feet, winding him momentarily.

“You were saying?” Eda said, plucking the mini crown off the demon's head.

“That’s not fair! I wasn’t ready!” The demon shouted, stamping his feet like a toddler before jumping up and trying to take back the crown that Eda now held far out of his reach.

“You know what’s also not fair? Stealing the stuff I already stole!” Eda scolded before curling her lip in disgust. “Great, now I sound like a warped version of my dad.”

“Give! It!” The demon demanded, still trying to jump for the crown.

“No. Go find your own crown.” Eda said sternly before stepping away and letting the demon fall over.

The demon started kicking his feet around and Eda rolled her eyes. She was about to turn away before the demon sat up and  _ squealed. _

It was like a long, drawn-out squeak made of pure  _ rage. _

Eda stared at the demons for a few moments as he fell over in his long squeal, reminding her of a little kid having a tantrum.

She then burst out laughing.

She doubled-over, clutching her stomach as she snorted and laughed at the demon, who had stopped his squeak and was now glaring up at her.

“Oh, so you think that’s funny, do you?” He snapped, crossing his arms and pouting. “You’ll regret that someday!”   
“I-I can’t--” Eda wheezed, dropping the crown as she tried to pull herself together. “That’s--it’s just...that’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in a  _ long _ time.” She wheezed out, shaking her head and wiping the tears away from her eyes.

“I am not cute!” The demon insisted. “What’s so funny about being cute, anyway?”   
“I just--I wasn’t expecting it!” Eda snickered.

The demon then noticed the dropped crown and sprung up to his feet. He rushed over and snatched the crown before darting back, clutching it tightly to his chest as he raised his head proudly.

“Foolish mortal! You’ve fallen for my...uh...my trap!” He said, his tail raised high. “The crown is mine once again!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, you adorable little pup.” Eda chuckled, finally calming down as she stood up again. “Something like that isn’t really worth the trouble of you coming back again. Let’s call your little show your payment for it, eh?” She said.

“You…” The demon looked from the crown and back to the bright-haired witch. “You're not going to take it away?”

_ “This _ time,” Eda reminded him. “I catch you stealing again and you’re going to have a  _ lot _ more trouble, you hear me?”

“Oh,” The demon blinked,  _ very _ surprised at this outcome. “The King of Demons...will accept this offer.” He said, putting the crown back around his unbroken horn. “You’ll be spared of my wrath this time, witch!”

“Sure thing, demon.” Eda snickered. “Hope I see you around, if only for that squeak of rage.” She teased, saluting the little demon.

The demon blinked up at her dumbfoundedly for a few moments, watching as she turned to walk back to her stand.

“I hope I see you around, too!” The demon finally said, waving after her. “If only to show you what force you’ve reckoned with!”   
Eda rolled her eyes and didn’t reply, simply waving behind her.

What a weird little creature.


	2. Rainstorm Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eda begins wondering if making new friends wouldn't be so bad. Even if they are a foot-tall demon with an ego bigger than the Titan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> King's been through some stuff.

If there was one thing Eda hated most, it was boiling rain.

She could tell by the storm clouds gathering one was on the way. However, she currently had a possible buyer looking over what she had to offer that day. So she impatiently tapped her fingers on the table as she watched the witch hm and haw over every little thing she had.

A _boom_ of thunder snapped her patience.

“Do you _want_ anything?” Eda snapped.

The witch lifted his head and blinked at her, dumbfounded.

“Oh, no, I was just browsing.” He said cheerfully. “I spent all my snails earlier.”

Eda stared at the witch, her left eye twitching as her nails dug into the table.

“Then _move along!”_ She shouted.

“Alright, alright! Jeez,” The witch grumbled, raising his hands and backing off. “Kids these days, I swear.” He mumbled as he hurried along down the marketplace.

Eda didn’t bother to retort. She frantically began gathering up her items in the table cloth. She picked up anything that had fallen and attempted to tear down her sign proudly stating; _Human Collectibles!_

She had nearly gotten the whole thing down before she heard something sizzle.

Eda whirled her head around. And sure enough, the first drops of boiling rain were beginning to fall.

Eda looked around frantically, spotting a stand that, thank the Titan, had a stone over it. She regrettably ditched the bag of human objects before diving for the shelter, wincing when she felt the drops of rain graze her right leg.

Eda crawled up underneath the shelter, pulling her leg close as she hissed out a string of curses. Thankfully, the burn on her leg wasn’t all that bad. Though it’d definitely bug her for the rest of the day. She considered using her magic to heal it, but decided against it. Using magic on such a small thing wasn't worth the effort.

“Sorry, Lilith,” Eda sighed, peering up at the cloud-filled sky. “Looks like I’m gonna be late again.”

She leaned back against one of the posts holding up the empty stand, settling in for a long, boring wait.

Until a yelp caught her attention.

Eda turned her head, looking back out to the open path in the marketplace. Off on the opposite side was an empty clay pot turned over. Beside that pot was a very familiar small plastic crown.

The pot lifted slightly and a black paw darted out, trying to grab at the crown before a drop of rain landed on it. Whoever was in the pot squeaked and instantly retreated their paw.

Only a few seconds later, the paw darted out again.

“Is that…?” Eda squinted her eyes.

Droplets of rain splashed onto the crown. It sizzled and hissed as the boiling temperatures of the water immediately ate away at the crown, bringing it down to a half-circle.

 _“No!”_ The pot lifted up higher, revealing the face of the self-proclaimed King of Demons, his face full of horror. “My crown! My beautiful, beautiful crown!” He wailed, once again nearly getting nicked by the rain and drawing his paw back into the safety of the pot.

“Hey, I know you!” Eda called. “Demon Lord, or, whatever your name was.”

The demon lifted his head, spotting Eda and perking up.

“Oh, hey witch lady!” The demon greeted. “You got any more crowns?” He asked hopefully.

Eda gave the demon a deadpan stare before pointing over at her abandoned bag of goods, which was now nearly completely eaten through.

“...oh,” The demon deflated.

“What are you _doing_ out here?” Eda asked. “Everyone knows to get somewhere safe before a rainstorm!”

“Well--I--” The demon faltered for a moment before angrily fluffing up his tail. “Then why are _you_ out here?” He retorted.

“Someone was ‘browsing’ my items when I thought they were gonna buy something,” Eda sighed, knocking her head back against the pole she was leaning on. “Apparently he didn’t think the oncoming wrath of boiling rain wasn’t something to be concerned about.”

“Personally, I think _not_ boiling alive is worth more than a profit.” The demon said, dropping the pot back over his head before standing up, wearing it like a long hat that went down to his legs.

“You’re a demon, you don’t _need_ money.” Eda snorted, watching the demon walk around in the open under the pot for a minute before skittering over towards her.

“...what are you doing?”

“It’s getting hot under here!” The demon said, hurrying underneath her shelter before ditching the pot and kicking it away. “This is a _much_ more adequate roof for the King of Demons.” He nodded in satisfaction.

“Don’t you have, like, an _owner?”_ Eda raised a brow. She reached out and grabbed his large gold tag. 

“The King of Demons belongs to _no one!”_ The demon snapped, tugging back and brushing himself off. “I am my own demon!”

“What’s with the collar then?” Eda questioned.

“I…” The demon blinked before looking down at his collar and fiddling with the tag. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Eda said disbelievingly. “How can you _not know_ why you have a collar?”

“I just don’t know!” The demon snapped back. “But I like it!” He said, sitting down and crossing his arms angrily.

“...alright then.” Eda said, turning to look out at the rain.

When she had first met the demon, she had assumed he had been someones escaped pet, due to the collar. It would also easily explain the inflated ego and delusions. People spoil their pets all the time.

But if he didn’t belong to anyone…

“If I may ask, since we’re clearly going to be here for a while,” Eda said, glancing over at the demon. “Does the so-called ‘King of Demons’ have a name?”

“A mortal like you couldn’t _bear_ to know the true name of the King of Demons!” The demon said, raising his head snootily.

Eda gave him a deadpan stare for a few moments.

“How about I just call you King?” She tried.

“That…” The demon frowned and thought for a moment. “That name will suffice.” He decided with a nod.

“Nice to formally meet, King.” Eda said with a bit of a smile, holding out her hand. “I’m Eda.”

“Eda...I can work with that.” King said, taking her hand and shaking it.

“Sorry about the crown,” Eda said, pulling her hand back and looking over at the pieces of scrap that were once some plastic toy. “I could probably find another one.”

“You would...find the King of Demons another crown?” King asked excitedly, tail wagging.

“Only because I feel bad,” Eda said, crossing her arms, though her smile only grew. “And you’ll have to pay me this time.”

King gestured to himself before holding his paws out at his sides.

“Do I _look_ like I have money?”

“Then how about this,” Eda said, thinking on her feet. “In payment, _you_ have to find stuff for me to sell.”

“Like...scavenging?” King tilted his head.

“Sort of,” Eda said. 

She dug in her wild mane of hair before pulling out a small dark brown key with a yellow eye on it and showed it off to the demon.

“A while ago, I found this key to the human realm.” She explained. “It’s where I get all my items. Although, recently, it’s getting harder for me to steal stuff from their metal bins without getting caught.”

“Oooh. So you wish to enlist the help of the mighty ruler of demons, eh?” King realized excitedly. “Fear not! For I accept this offer. In exchange for a crown, I will hunt down the greatest human artifacts the Boiling Isles has ever seen!” He said, standing up and posing proudly.

“Thanks, King.” Eda chuckled, tucking the key back into her hair. “Hope you’re a good tracker, though. I don’t set up shop in the same place two days in a row.”

“Pssh, how hard can it be?” King waved his paw. “I just have to look for the loudest witch in the market.”

“Wha--says _you!”_ Eda scoffed. “You’re the loudest demon I’ve ever met! I’m genuinely surprised I haven’t met you yet.”

“Yes, well, I’ve decided to grace this side of the Isles with my presence.” King said. “You’re welcome.”

“Gee, thanks.” Eda shook her head before reaching over and ruffling the fur that connected to his skull by his cheek.

King let out a weird ‘weh’ like noise and struggled for a moment, batting at her hand with his paws.

Which, now that Eda got a better look at them, _really_ didn’t look too good.

Demons had tougher skin than witches, so a few droplets of boiling water wouldn’t cause severe harm. And yet, the way his skin was twisted and discolored from the burns he’d received made Eda's own chest twist.

“Doesn’t this hurt?” Eda asked, drawing her hands back and gently placing one of his wrists in her open palm.

“Eh, I’ve had worse.” King shrugged. “The King of Demons needs no sympathy.” He said, turning his nose away.

Eda frowned, worried about what ‘worse’ such a small demon like King could be referring to. 

Her eyes drew to his broken horn.

She decided not to ask and pulled him a bit closer.

“Could I at least try to heal it?” She asked.

Eda had never been good at healing magic. Her best had always been defense and offense, not sitting on the sidelines and tending to the wounded. Lilith had more knowledge in that aspect, thanks to the Emperor’s Coven.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?

“I...suppose,” King said, sounding suspicious. “Just be careful. I don’t want to chip a claw,” He said, this time sounding like he was partially joking.

“I won’t,” Eda promised before turning back to his paw.

A faint yellow glow came from her left hand and she brought it closer to King’s paw, eyes squinted in concentration as she gently pressed a finger to his burns.

King winced as though expecting to be hurt, though he didn’t pull his paw away.

Slowly, Eda ghosted her finger over the burns, smiling as she saw his previously gnarly skin untwisting and fitting back up.

“There we go,” Eda said, bringing her hand back. She couldn’t heal it up all the way, but now it was practically invisible unless you looked for it. 

_“Whoa,”_ King turned over his paw, mesmerized. “Do the other one, do the other one!” He chanted gleefully, sticking out his other slightly less-burned paw.

“Alright, hang on, hang on.” Eda chuckled, concentrating as she drew her glowing finger over the burns, bringing it to about the same state as his first paw.

“That should heal up on its own, now.” She said, letting him admire and study his freshly healed paws.

“Thanks...uh,” King squinted. “What was your name again?”

“Eda,” The young witch sighed. “It was Eda.”

“Right, Eda! Thanks. I'll remember next time.” King promised, holding his paws close.

Eda smiled at the demon. What had happened to him to make him so astonished that a witch would help him, she didn’t want to know. 

But she did know that right then, she wasn’t going to be quite as alone out here as she thought.

“Anytime, King.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who's gonna ask why Eda didn't use a magic shield for herself: I like to theorize keeping one up is probably very draining for a witch, depending on it's strength. And this is when Eda is, like, 16-17. She's still got a long way to go.


	3. A Castle Fit for a King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a family is a prodigy witch cop-in-training, a con-artist hiding from the government, and a small bone dog who thinks he rules the world.  
> And sometimes a little comfort is all they need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE LONGEST CHAPTER YET! MAN I loved making this one. I am SOFT for Eda & King interactions. Lemme tell you, King was a LOT more invested in his whole 'King of Demons' spiel when he was younger. He gets better as time goes on, but he was REALLY into it when he first met Eda. Having friends is new for him.

For the first few weeks, their routine worked.

Eda would open the portal to the human realm, warn King to be careful, and have him go at it for about an hour before reopening the door and sorting through whatever he had collected.

The first day King mostly only got food, and Eda could barely sell any of it. Half because it was too disgusting by Boiling Isles standards and half because King _kept eating it._

The second day King grabbed anything he could that looked vaguely like a crown. Eda made him sell each and every one, much to his distress. She did, however, save a silver and blue plastic tiara that she gave to King, who was _thrilled._ Even if his crowns never lasted very long, it was worth it to see him so happy.

The third day King didn’t make it back to the portal because he had been caught by the human version of animal control and Eda had to break him out.

But aside from those hiccups and a few others, it went _fine._

So fine, in fact, that Eda was nearing enough money to finally get a place of her own instead of crashing at Lilith’s and sometimes her dads when Lilith accidentally locked the doors. 

Things were starting to look up...almost.

King was absolutely, positively, _not_ worried.

It was un-kingly like for the King of Demons to be _worried_ about a _witch._

No, he wasn’t worried. 

Simply...curious. Wondering. Questioning.

“Have you seen Eda?” King exclaimed, jumping up onto some poor unsuspecting witches table, scaring the life out of them. “She’s tall, I think, with hair that looks like a rats nest on fire, usually causing trouble and scamming people?”

“Beat it, you overgrown rat!” A second witch at the stand snapped, swinging a broom at the demon.

King yelped and leapt off the table, hitting the ground awkwardly before scuttling further into the marketplace.

“Have you seen Eda?” He asked a passing cyclops, clinging to his leg. “The witch who sells human collectibles? Looks like she probably stole your wallet?”

“Get off!” The cyclops demanded, kicking out his leg and sending King right back to eating the dirt.

King sprung right back up, fiddling his paws together as he rushed down the marketplace, asking any witch, demon, or vaguely-sentient being if they’d seen Eda. Most brushed him off, others only shook their heads.

Normally, King wouldn’t be so worr--er, _inquisitive_ about where Eda was. She had a new place she set up shop every day, and it was always fun to hunt her down in the morning.

But Eda had _told_ him where she was going to be this time. Right smack in the middle of the marketplace, so to sell more stuff today.

She wasn’t there. Or anywhere, for that matter.

Not a single sign, disgruntled customer, _nothing._ Eda _rarely_ missed a day to sell. And whenever she did, she would _always_ make sure to tell King beforehand. He had to be extra careful with his crown of the week when she wasn’t around to replace it, after all.

King swore he’d searched the whole marketplace from top to bottom three times around. He couldn’t find Eda _anywhere._

It was nearing afternoon, and he was getting tired.

“Aw, I’m sorry to hear that, sweetie,” his most recent inquiry said sympathetically. “Maybe she was just sick today. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“Yeah...yeah! That must be it!” King said. “Eda’s just sick. I’ll see her tomorrow.”

“There you go,” The nice lady smiled. “Run along now, you look tired.”  
“Oh you have _no_ idea,” King agreed. “Thanks, random minion!” He called before turning and trotting back through the marketplace.

Of _course_ Eda was sick! It made perfect sense. She wouldn’t _dare_ to come near the _King of Demons_ if she thought she could infect him. No subject would wish that upon their ruler.

Still, he’d make sure Eda found him the _best_ crown tomorrow. He broke his weird circle crown yesterday and was anxious for a new one.

It wasn’t long before King made it out of the marketplace and began making his way to the playground. It had become his kingdom, since it was close to the marketplace and he got to survey his land from the top. Though the small raiders were always a nuisance.

The things King put up with for that witch.

As he wandered down the street, he passed a row of old broken benches. Not many people took this route towards town, since it had yet to be fixed from a rogue Slitherbeast attack and was faced with only the backs of houses.

So King was rather surprised when he saw a witch sitting on one of the benches, knees curled up to her chest and face hidden under a nest of orange hair.

Wait a second…

 _“Eda!”_ King cried, racing on all fours across the ground to the bench. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Eda jerked her head up, strands of hair rumpled and sticking out everywhere. Her eyes were wide and...King would dare say _hurt._

King paused, one jump away from leaping onto the bench beside the witch. He blinked up at her, now noticing that her face was _very_ damp.

“...Eda?” King asked, quieter now.

“King! Ah, sorry, sorry,” Eda sniffled and quickly wiped a sleeve over her eyes. “Took me a minute. I, ah, I missed opening the shop, didn’t I?” She said, giving a small strained smile.

King thought he preferred her old smile better.

“Missed it? It’s noon!” King exclaimed, crawling up onto the bench beside Eda. “I thought you were sick or something.”

“Sorry, pip-squeak.” Eda said, her voice hoarse. “I didn’t realize the time.”

King sat in silence for a few moments, his little legs splayed out as he looked at the stone street before looking back at Eda. She was staring off again, arms crossed on top of her knees with her chin resting on them. She looked like she was about to cry.

“Not that I’m worried or anything, but...” King hesitated a moment before placing a paw on her arm. “Are you okay?”

Eda gazed down at King for a moment before sniffling and a fresh wave of tears spilled from her eyes.

“...no,” She said, shoulders hunched as she buried her face in her legs again, trembling with choked back sobs.

Well _this_ wasn’t something King was prepared for.

King flinched back, looking around for anything that could help him. But nobody else was around. Just the open, broken street.

So, with nothing else to really do, King pushed his head underneath Eda’s arms, startling her. He wormed his way into her lap, which was a very cramped space at the moment, and lay across it. His limbs were hanging off at an awkward angle, and his head was smooshed between her legs and body, but it didn’t feel right to complain.

“Is, uh,” King glanced up at the young witch. “Is this better?”

Eda stared before she let out a weak chuckle, the shaking of her body jostling King a bit. She lowered her legs, freeing King of his prison, and wrapped her arms around him instead, bringing the small demon closer to her chest.

“Yeah, that helps.” Eda said quietly, stroking a hand down King’s back.

King was stiff as cardboard before, worrying any movement would mess it all up. Once he felt Eda petting his fur, however, he visibly relaxed and became loose like a noodle.

“Oh, this is nice,” King purred. 

Eda giggled slightly and brought one of her arms underneath King to hold him steady and pet him with her other hand, smiling as he curled closer to her to get more pets.

“Thanks, King.” Eda said softly, scratching at where his skull met his fur.

“Don’t mention it,” King said, still happy from the pets. “...again, not that I care, but,” King paused again and flicked his tail. “Did something bad happen?”

Eda went still for a moment. King, admittedly, got worried again. Fine, so _maybe_ he cared. What of it?

“Just my dad.” Eda said, stroking her hand along King’s back again. “He thinks he knows everything and...well, he thinks I’m doing things wrong. Just an argument that got out of hand. I can always crash at Lilith’s, anyway.”

“I thought you liked your dad?” King looked up at her, turning over on his side for Eda to pet there. 

“I do, I do.” Eda agreed, relentining in scratching his stomach, making him twitch and kick out a leg happily. “But...he sometimes...isn’t all that great. _”_ She said, eyes glazed over in thought.

“He’s a good person...but sometimes I wonder what it would be like if my mom was still around.”

King opened his eyes from his momentary bliss, and Eda’s hand slowed as well. He squirmed in her arm a bit so he was sitting up and lay his chin on her shoulder in an attempt of being comforting.

“Sorry,” King said quietly.

“Don’t be. I’ll be alright.” Eda lay a hand across his back to hold him there. “If anything, I should apologize to _you._ I don’t normally info-dump my life to demons I work with.”

“I don’t mind,” King said, standing in her arms and placing his paws on her one shoulder. “I mean, I _am_ the King of Demons. It’s only natural that I must inspire my subjects when all seems lost.” He said, placing a paw on his chest. 

“Whatever you say, weirdo.” Eda rolled her eyes. 

She looked away for a moment, staring off at the silence and nothingness around them both.

“But I guess I’m a weirdo too, huh?” She said, giving him a smile.

“Eh, everyone’s a little weird.” King shrugged, laying back down in her arms once more. “You sell human junk and refuse to join a coven, I live at a _very_ small kingdom, that one weird lady down the street calls herself Tiny Nose--”

“A small kingdom?” Eda cut in, sounding amused.

“Yeah, back where you gave me my first crown.” King explained.

“You live at the _playground?”_ She gasped, all amusement lost in an instant.

“I prefer the name ‘King’s Kingdom,’ thank you.” King said. “Wait, that doesn’t sound right…”

“Alright, that settles it.” Eda said, picking up King from under his arms and holding the demon in front of her face. “I have _seen_ what nightmares those kids are at the playground, and if I’m being honest, I feel _really_ guilty letting you sleep on the streets.”

“My kingdom is _not_ ‘the streets!’” King grumbled. “But continue.”

“I’m going to be buying my own place soon, and at this point, I’ll likely be living with Lilith for the next week or two.” Eda said. “So, as a…” She thought about her words for a moment. “A token of my gratitude, how would you like to sleep with an actual roof over your head?”

“I get to live with _you?”_ King blurted, wiggling happily from his place in the air.

“I take that as confirmation that you want to?” Eda laughed, setting the demon back down on her lap.

“Yes! I always wanted to see what the inside of those houses looked like!” King jumped up and down in her lap. “Is it true you have fresh _uneaten_ food?” He asked, his eyes practically _sparkling._

“Bud, you don’t know the _half_ of it.” Eda said, picking up King again and getting to her feet. “But it’s only just past noon. Why don’t we try and sell the scraps you got from yesterday first?”

“Fine, if you insist.” King muttered, huffing as Eda began carrying him back to the marketplace. “But I deserve _two_ new crowns, you hear me? I spent _all morning_ looking for you! It was exhausting.”

“Of course, of course.” Eda nodded. “Anything for a king.”

Getting Lilith to let King _stay,_ however, was going to be a _lot_ harder than selling a few human trinkets.

Which is why Eda didn’t plan on letting her know right away.

“I am a king! Why do I have to be smuggled in like some common thief?” King huffed, hiding in Eda’s arm in a cloak she had been recently using to hide from any nosy guards.

“Because Lilith isn’t keen on getting a third roommate.” Eda replied, walking down the roads towards Lilith’s Emperor Coven mandated flat. “She already complains enough about getting food for the both of us.”

“If it’s such a hassle, why does she let you stay?” King wondered. “You said she was in the Emperor’s Coven, didn’t you?”

“She may be annoyed by it, but we’re still sisters.” Eda said. “She promised that when we made it to the Emperor’s Coven, we could get a place of our own. We love our dad, he’s not exactly...well-off.”

“But you’re not in the Emperor’s Coven. Didn’t you say you were covenless?” King pointed out.

“Eh, dreams change.” Eda shrugged. “Now keep quiet. For now, you’ll hide in my room. I’ll just have to warm up Lilith to the idea of you.”

She stopped in front of the door of one of the small, stone houses. It was far too close to Emperor Belos’ castle for her liking.

Luckily for her, she didn’t have to stick around for too much longer.

Eda held the front of her cloak closed with one hand, holding King under her arm with the other. Taking a deep breath, she opened the front door, which was thankfully unlocked, and slipped inside.

She barely made it ten feet into the door before she was hounded.

“Eda!” Lilith exclaimed, bolting from around the kitchen corner and rushing over. “I heard what happened with dad,” She said and Eda visibility recoiled. “I’m so, so sorry. You know he didn’t really mean it, right?”

“Maybe not that harshly...but I think a part of him _did_ mean it.” Eda mumbled, stepping around her sister. “What are you doing back? It’s barely dusk.”

“I managed to get in a good word and cut my training short,” Lilith said. “I should be free tomorrow to help you sell that junk at the marketplace, too.” She said happily.

“Excuse you,” Eda huffed, tightening her hold on King as he squirmed. “I prefer the term ‘human collectibles.’” She said with a teasing glint in her eye. “Helps sell it a lot easier to suckers off the street.”

“Whatever makes you feel better.” Lilith rolled her eyes. “Are you hungry? I got some bloodrain noodles from the pitstop a few streets over.”

“Oh, uh, actually...I already ate.” Eda lied, looking everywhere but at her sister. “Hey, remember when I mentioned I met a funny little demon two weeks ago?”

“Yeah…? Why’s this come up? You haven’t spoken of him since then.” Lilith said, raising a brow. “Did he get you in trouble?”

“No, no, not like that at _all.”_ Eda insisted. “But, what if, hypothetically, he didn’t have a place to stay? And I could, I don’t know...share my food with him?”

It was a long shot, she knew. But hiding _King_ of all people in a flat as cramped as this would be next to _impossible_ without trying it the easy way first.

Lilith narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, glaring at her sister.

“What’s in the cloak, Eda?”

“What? Pssh, nothing, nothing at all.” Eda said, pulling it closer around herself as King stiffened up. “I was just wondering what you’d think. Testing the waters a bit, you know?”

“Take off your cloak, Eda.”

“Why? It’s _my_ cloak, and I can do what I want with it.” Eda said, stepping back and giving Lilith a firm look. “And you can’t make me.”

Lilith uncrossed one hand and drew a circle in the air. Eda’s cloak suddenly lit up before going _flying_ across the room and out of her grip as it hit a wall before sliding to the ground.

King, who was currently being carried like a football, blinked at the sudden light and craned his neck to look up at Lilith.

“Huh, I guess wild hair runs in the family.”

 _“Edalyn!”_ Lilith accused.

“What else was I supposed to do? Let him live on a playground full of screaming kids?” Eda demanded, re situating King so he was curled up in her arms like a baby. “Come on, Lilith, he’s not even that big!”

“Eda, I understand your worries,” Lilith exhaled, pressing her hands together in front of her face like she was trying to steel herself. “But I can’t extend my generosity to random stray demons you find.”

 _"Hey!”_ King cried indignantly. “I’ll have you know I am the _King of Demons!_ You should be _honored_ to house me.”

“And you found a _delusional_ one, too?” Lilith groaned. 

“Alright, hey, that’s a bit harsh.” Eda defended, laying a hand over King. “So what if he’s a little weird? I am too! Besides, he’ll only be here to sleep. The rest of the time he’ll be helping me sell in the market.”

“Edalyn, _please,”_ Lilith rubbed at her temples. “I’m having a hard enough time at the Emperor’s Coven, I can’t worry about a demon you’ve gotten attached to.”

At that, King looked up at Eda, almost seeming surprised. Eda sighed, shoulders sagging.

She got a sudden idea and perked up. She slowly held out King like a doll in front of Lilith’s face, a smile growing on her face.

When Lilith opened her eyes, she was immediately greeted with a confused King staring back at her.

“But he’s _so_ cute,” Eda whimpered, giving her sister a pleading look.

“I am _not_ cute!” King squeaked, kicking about as Eda giggled.

“You should hear him when he’s mad,” Eda said, lowering King but still holding him. “He’s got a squeak of _rage._ It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” She grinned.

“You can’t buy me with cuteness,” Lilith crossed her arms and turned her head away.

“Aw, _please?”_ Eda tried, sliding up beside her sister and holding King in front of her again. “I promise to take full responsibility for this little brat.”

“Responsibility! _Ha!_ As if I cause trouble everywhere I go.” King snorted.

Eda knew _very_ well how true that was, and thankfully had enough self-control to keep her mouth shut.

Lilith cracked open an eye, and Eda gave the _biggest_ puppy-dog eyes she could muster.

“Please?” She begged. “I’ll be moving out soon, anyway. You won’t even know he was here!”

Lilith curled her lip and glared for a few moments. Her eyes shifted between Eda’s begging face and King’s naively hopeful one.

Lilith sighed and uncrossed her arms, letting her head hang back.

_“Fine,”_

“WOO!” Eda pumped a fist in the air, almost dropping King. “You won’t regret this, Lily. I promise!”

“I better not.” She warned, though her tone held no real malice.

“Huzzah!” King cheered. “Does this mean I can have uneaten food now?”

“Buddy, you can have as much uneaten food as you want.” Eda grinned.

“From _your share,_ Edalyn.” Lilith sternly reminded her.

“...you can have _almost_ as much uneaten food as you’d like.” Eda corrected herself. “C’mon, I think I have some scream bars in the pantry.”

“I have no idea what those are, but I am _ready!”_ King agreed as Eda set him down and raced into the kitchen, the demon following after her.

Lilith watched her sister vanish around the corner, talking excitedly with the demon as she took her own food to feed to him.

As much as Lilith didn’t want another mouth she’d inevitably be feeding…she couldn’t help but feel happy.

It was worth it, if only to see that smile on Eda’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eda & Lilith's dad, in my opinion, is meant to be written as a more morally-gray character. A good person, but not a good father. He'd never hit or purposefully verbally abuse his daughters...but he was never really ready to be a father. And people, good or bad, often say things harsher than they meant when under stress.  
> The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.

**Author's Note:**

> BROS I got fanart! I posted an idea of this AU on tumblr before deciding to write it here. Check this person out!
> 
> https://lakka-draws.tumblr.com/post/627924898011086848/so-i-drew-a-little-something-based-off-of


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